At last, the moment has arrived! Yuki Tsunoda is making his highly anticipated debut at Red Bull, bidding farewell to Racing Bulls. After over four years with the junior team, he is finally making the leap to the coveted seat next to Max Verstappen. Racing Bulls team boss Laurent Mékies is delighted that Tsunoda is being promoted, although for the Frenchman it will also be a bittersweet farewell.
On Thursday, Red Bull officially announced that Liam Lawson is being sacrificed in favor of Yuki Tsunoda after two disappointing races in Melbourne and Shanghai. Christian Horner wants to ‘protect’ the New Zealander with this decision and is sending him back to Racing Bulls. In an official press release, Mékies responded that he is proud that Tsunoda is allowed to take this step, although it also hurts to see him leave.
“We are incredibly proud of Tsunoda for making his well-deserved move to Red Bull,” said the team boss. “His progress last year and in the current season has been nothing short of sensational. Both personally and collectively, it was a tremendous privilege to witness this development. His energy and positivity have lit up every corner of our factory and garage, and he will always remain a Racing Bull! We wish him all the success he deserves at Red Bull.”
The Return of Liam Lawson
With Tsunoda’s departure, Racing Bulls is also looking forward to the return of Liam Lawson. “The entire team can’t wait to provide him (Lawson) with the best possible environment,” continued Mékies. “We want to make him shine again in our car and show the talent we all know he has. He fit in so well with us last year and we can’t wait to continue growing as a team. With Isack Hadjar, who has already started so strongly with us, we know we have a young and strong line-up.”
An – of course – enthusiastic response, although there are also experts who wonder to what extent this early driver change will disrupt the team. Racing Bulls, which started the season with a strong line-up and a relatively competitive car, is once again at the mercy of the whims of the Red Bull team leadership. “A driver change destabilizes Racing Bulls,” former driver Ralf Schumacher previously told Sky Sports. “If I were Tsunoda’s manager, I would actually advise him not to go to Red Bull. At this moment, he has a better car.” Driver Jeroen Bleekemolen shared a similar opinion in a recent episode of Formula 1 Paddock Talk: “Tsunoda is doing well at Racing Bulls and the car is performing well. He won’t drive better at Red Bull, rather worse.”
